Cotton-press



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L.-MILLER.

GOTTON PRESS. 4

Patgnted July 26,1887.

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L. MILLER.

COTTON PRESS.

- No. 367,220. Patented July 26, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS MILLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

COTTON-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,220, dated July 26, 1887.

application filed February 5, 1887. Serial No. 226,673. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEwIs MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Presses; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention; such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in presses for condensing cotton-bales, hay, and

other loose material; and it consists in the following instrumentalities, which, when taken in connection with the claims and the annexed drawings, will enable others skilled in the art to fully understand the same.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved press, indicating the platen at its lowest stroke and showing in vertical diametrical section one of the cylinders and the piston, and also a crosssection of one of the water-inlets, the piston shown insectionbeing at its lowest point of the stroke. Fig. 2 is partly a vertical transverse section and partly an end elevation. Fig.3

- is a top or plan view, oneof the tubular or tie rods being broken away.

. yield under extraordinary pressure occasioned by the weight of the press. Upon this base I suitably anchor and key down a frame of cast metal. (Indicated in the drawings by the letter B.) This anchored frame is or may be cast hollow, for the purpose of securing lightness combined with strength, and it is especially designed for supporting ahorizontal cellular cross-head or platen, O, the base of which is ribbed in a horizontal plane for the purpose of inserting bands wherever desired. This frame constitutes the metal base upon which I rigidly bolt the cylinders D D. vIn practice I shall flange the lower ends of the cylinders D D, in order to afford a means of bolting them to the upper face of the platen 0.

It is desirable that the strong frameBshould be tied down to its base A, and I prefer that this frame should be cast hollow, as indicated partly in section, Fig. 1, and also in Fig. 2.

The cylinders D D are arranged, preferably side by side, in rows, and all of these cylinders have their bases upon the upper horizontal surface of the head 0, to which 'head they are severally rigidly secured, as above set forth. It will be seen from the following description that it is essential in the practical working of my press that the vertical cylindersD D should be firmly fixed to the head O.

F designates what might be denominated the lower platen or follower, and E a cross head. This lower platen has a grooved upper side, between which and the lower side of the upper platen, C, the material. to be condensed is put. This lower platen is semicircular in shape, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings. The perimeter is double-grooved, as indicated at b b, and on each side recesses are formed, adapted to be filled by caps or segments 0 c, which are secured in place by suitable bolts passed transversely into the follower.

Itwill be observed by reference to Fig. 1 of the annexed drawings that the point e of the union of the cape intersects, or nearly so, the radius of the inner diameter of tl1e groove in the follower. 'Each removable segment or cap a is scarfed into the lower platen, F, so that when in place itrcompletes its respective groove therein. For the purpose of further strengthening theframe B, I prefer to employ tubular spacing-tubes G, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, through which the bolts pass, which prevent lateral spreading of the links of the frame.

I now refer to the head E. This head'is or may be practically constructed like the platen F, with the removable segments or caps c and the grooves b, with this exception, that I form .two rows of cylinders D.

end caps or extensions, E, on this head, the bases of which are in the same horizontal plane as the major portion of the head.

H Hdesignate two continuouslinks or bands which encircle the lower platen, F, and the head E and rest in the grooves bin their curved faces. These links are in part flexible, and they are composed of strands of steel wire, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. The links are preferably formed each of a continuous strand of steel wire wound around and around in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 7 until the required size is attained,when the strands may be suitably secured together.

By forming the links in the manner I do a flexible or yielding rope is provided which will practically accommodate itself to the grooves in the curved faces of the cross-head and lower platen.

Prior to this invention a forged link was used; but I found that it would not properly adapt itself to the curvation of the grooves in the lower platen and the cross-head; also, that a solid link or band was necessarily too large for large sized presses to afford the required degree of strength and at the same time the desired lightness. I now employ the compound link composed of numerous steel-wire strands bunched together, as clearly shown in the annexed drawings, and confined in place by my improved removable caps or segments 0 and the grooves in the platen and cross-head.

It will be observed that by reason of the formation of offsets E E on the cross head E and corresponding offsets, E E 011 upper platen, O, I am able to employ the extra cylinders D D, which are at the termini of the I thus condense or compact within a comparatively small horizontal area a great number of hydraulic pressing-cylinders.

It is obvious that by removing the cap 0 the lower platen and the cross-head may be readily applied to or removed from the links or bands H.

Inside of each one of the vertical cylinders is ahollow elongated piston, K, of slightly less external diameter than the internal diameter of its cylinder, as clearly shown in section on the right-hand side of Fig. l of the annexed drawings. This piston is preferably re-enforced at its base by cross-ribs p, as shown in said figure, and it is hermetically packed by the usual annular gaskets seated in annular grooves near the upper end of the cylinder.

Below the lower packing or gasket of each piston K is the pressing-fluid inlet J, each inlet being provided with a removable packed cap, h, all of these inlets communicating with a common pipe, J, which may communicate with any convenient head or source of power, so that by a simple regulating cook or valve the pressure may be cut off or applied at pleasure to all of the pistons K. Again, it will be observed that the upper thickened end of each piston K (all pistons and cylinders being alike constructed) has a bridge or bar, L, secured to it, to the arched part of which a tension-bolt, M, is linked. cored-out portions of the cross-head E and provided with a nut, a. Now, for the purpose of obtaining ready access to the annular gaskets between each piston and its cylinder, I employ what I shall denoininate slotted collars or cylinders S. These collars are clearly shown applied to the press in Figs. 1 and 2, and they are shown enlarged in Figs. 5 and (5. They respectively consist of a cylindrical thimble vertically slotted at t, flanged at i, and provided with handles 8 s, diametrically opposite each other. These collars are interposed between the bottom side of the head E and its extensions E and the upper ends of the hollow pistons K, on which they are sleeveseated, as indicated at r, Fig. 1.

For the purpose of repairing or renewing the packing or gaskets in the cylinders D D, the pistons are forced up a proper distance and the head E is blocked or propped up. The nuts 11 are then loosened, and the slotted collars S are withdrawn by a simple lateral displacement, the slot t in each collar allowing it to be moved from the bolt M without detaching this belt from its head.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a baling-press, of a grooved platen or follower and a grooved head arranged to move vertically, with the removable segments 0 and endless connectinglinks, substantially as described.

2. In a balingpress, the combination of removable vertically-slotted collars S, applied between the upper ends of the pistons in cylinders D and the head E, the vertical bolts connecting the said pistons with said head, and the stationary cross-head upon which the cylinders D are bolted, substantially as dc scribed.

3. A baling-press consisting of the following instrumentalities: a base, A, a frame, 13, a cross-head, cylinders united to this head and communicating with a prime motor, pistons arranged in these cylinders and secured to a head, E, the interposed slotted collars S, a follower or platen, and flexible endless links composed of strands of wire bunched together, substantially as described.

4. In a hydraulic press of the character described, the combination of the stationary cross-head O, the follower or platen G, the movable cross-head E, connected by flexible links to the platen G, the cylinders D D, the hollow pistons working therein, and slotted collars S between the upper ends of the said pistons and the movable cross-head, substantially as described.

5. In a hydraulic press, the combination, with the movable platen and movable crosshead, grooved as described, and detachable segments a, as described, of the links H H,

This bolt is passed through the each formed of a single steel wire coiled and M, rigidly connecting the pistons and their bunched together,asspecified,andastationary collars to said movable cross-head, substancross-head between said parts, as specified. tially as described.

6. The combination, with the vertically- In testimonywhereof [affix my signaturein 5 movable platen and vertically-movable crosspresence of two witnesses.

head linked together, as described, of the stationary cross-head cylinders D D, secured LEWIS MILLER upon this head, the pistons K in said 'cylin- Witnesses: ders, the removable slotted collars between CHAS. D. DAVIS,

I O the pistons and movable cross-head, and bolts l W. D. ALEXANDER. 

